Three Tier vs Single Tier ?
 

So I've been trolling the forums for the better part of the day, and i'm trying to weigh pros and cons between a three tier and a single tier setup


I have an old square tube basketball pole from my driveway which could serve as the center mount for some tiers on a three tier build. My step-dad is a welder and has a full metal work shop so the welding is not an issue.

If I buy some burners for each of the tiers or at least two of them, and decided later on to go single tier I could reuse them, but I kind of like the idea of a single pump three tier setup and using gravity from the HLT to the MLT

It seems like to get a single tier build going, it would be a lot more expensive, all of the DIY single tiers i see people have electronically controlled burners and several pumps to go between the stages of brewing.

I am currently just doing 5 gallon batches, I have gone from extract to all grain for the last two batches, and will probably continue with just all grain (a more enjoyable process IMO)

I have also recently used the aquarium themocontroller build thread to do up a thermocontroller with the STC controller I got off ebay. I have 5 gallons of oktoberfest going at 53deg right now :mug:

Thoughts on three tier versus single tier?

I chose the single tier because I didn't like the idea of lugging water up to an HLT that is so high. Either way works, just personnel preference. One other thing, a single tier can be as simple or hard as you want it to be. I used mine for a long time as a single pump system with no electronics at all. I've since up graded to a RIMS and have some remedial electronics on it. If you have the material to make a three tier, go for it.

Which is why I think having a single pump would work for the stand, to get hot water up to the HLT.

As for lugging water up to an HLT... have you not considered a hose?
HLTs are for heating water, why would you be putting hot water in?
A 2 tier is lower, safer, and more stable.

http://brewsteel.com/wp-content/uplo...er-225x300.png\
http://brewsteel.com/wp-content/uplo...-2-237x300.png

absolutely, I wouldn't fill it with buckets and a ladder, too much work lol

I would either just directly fill it with a hose, or pump it up

Batch Sparging requires one flow at a time so that's single tier and one pump or three tier and no pump.

Fly sparging requires two simultaneous liquid flows so that's either single tier and two pumps, two tier and one pump or three tier and no pumps.

My personal preference is two tier with one pump. It lets you brew any way you want. The pump also allows you to put the lower tier very low since you don't need gravity to the fermenter.

i have a single tier, two pumps, no electronics. Works for me, but it also pulls double duty as a 3 burner stove when mounted on my smoker trailer.

you wouldn't by chance know of a thread regarding a two tier build like you mentioned would you?

I'll do a search via the search function for two-tier and see what results.

I built a 2 tier where the HLT and the Bk are up high while the MLT is low. The only part of my system that is gravity fed is the HLT to the MLT, the wort from the mlt to the bk and bk to the fermenter is run off of one pump. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-brewstand-build-285175/

Usually the thread you are looking for ends up right in the Similar Threads box down there \|/ when you hit post...


http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/single-tier-vs-two-tier-build-193329/